Thursday, August 14, 2008
Mountain lion network sayd DGIF in denial
Bill Cochran
Recent field reports
Virginia wildlife officials are in denial when it comes to recognizing the mounting evidence that there are mountain lions in the state. That is what John Lutz is saying. He heads the Eastern Puma Research Network, headquartered in Maysville, W.Va.
“Virginia has become another case of arrogant high-ranking game policy makers burying their heads in the sand,” Lutz said, in the most recent newsletter.
Bob Ellis, chief of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife division, says Lutz is off target in his comments. DGIF has a biologist, Rick Reynolds, assigned to investigations of mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas and panthers. His work includes maintaining a data base to record and map reported sightings.
Reynolds works with a number of organizations dedicated to mountain lion research, but never has he been contacted by Lutz, Ellis said.
Only Pennsylvania is worse than Virginia when it comes to denying evidence that there are big cats among us, said Lutz. Wildlife officials in the two states don’t just deny the presents of mountain lions, they enjoy ridiculing people who believe they have seen one, he said.
When sightings are reported to wildlife officials in Virginia there never is any follow-up to gather additional information, Lutz said.
“John Luz is uninformed regarding our actions related to cougar reports,” said Ellis. “We investigate all reliable reports and have responded on-site to numerous sightings that had potential physical evidence. In the past several years, we have looked at many tracks, examined numerous photographs, looked at videos, listened to audio clips and even set up remote cameras at one site.”
Lutz said he was setting up his own cameras, thanks to funding provided by a retired Army officer who said he was rebuffed by Virginia officials when he attempted to report a sighting in the Shenandoah National Park.
“He offered to pay for wildlife cameras just to prove ‘Virginia idiots’ are wrong,” said Lutz.
As for DGIF’s policy on mountain lions, Ellis had this to say: “Currently, we have no firm evidence to support the idea that wild cougars live in Virginia. However, we remain open minded to the reports we receive, especially as they relate to the possibility of an escaped captive animal.”
The Web site for the Eastern Puma Research Network is easternpumaresearch.com.
BILL
FOOD PLOTS ARE COSTING MORE
Hunters planting food plots to enhance wildlife habitat on their land or club land are having to reach deeper into their jeans. The cost of putting seeds into the ground and maintain food plots is soaring.
First, the price of gasoline to operate tractors or ATVs is an all-time high. So is the price of fertilizer. The cost of seeds is soaring, and the same can be said for chemicals. If you have to buy farm equipment, you are talking about a big-time investment.
Then there are the dry conditions experienced last year that carried over into this year in many sections of the state.
“Deer hunters who plant food plots must fee a little like Job,” said Matt Knox, deer biologist for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.
In the August/September of Whitetail Times, the publication of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, author David Hart wondered which is the best investment if your goal is to bag a trophy buck: Spend money on a food plot or spend money on a hunting trip to Saskatchewan or Iowa
BILL
OUTDOOR SHOW IN SALEM
I admit, I was a skeptic, maybe even a cynic, when last year Waynette Anderson announced she was bringing an outdoor show to the Roanoke Civic Center. I’d seen a bunch of outdoor show fail through the years in the Roanoke Valley.
Then word came that the Roanoke show had a scheduling conflict with an entrenched annual show in Richmond, and I pretty much wrote off the efforts of Andersons. But her show, the Virginia Outdoor Sportsmen’s Classic, drew nearly 8,000 people along with some praise.
Anderson is back with a show in the Salem Civic Center Aug. 22-24. It will be a mix of venders and seminars, along with a trophy buck contest and the Virginia Outdoor Open turkey calling contest. Look for a bunch of hands-on things, including an ATV test track, a 3D archery range, a youth archery range, a youth education area and a fly-casting pond.
Admission to the show is $9. Coupons for a $2 discount are available at Roanoke area Hardee’s.
Look for show details on vaoutdoorsportsmensclassic.com.
BILL
PENN RIGGS TAKES IN OUTDOOR SHOW
Penn Riggs, of Norfolk, is an avid hunter and annual visitor to the Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show in Richmond. Here’s his report on last weekend’s event:
Saturday I took my wife and the grandkids to the Virginia Outdoor Sportsman Show. I didn’t realize it until I got there and saw the banners, but this was the 25th anniversary of the show.
I talked a little with Denny Quaiff, executive director of the Virginia Deer Hunters Association, who sponsors the show. Denny said that attendance was good and the show was doing well, as evident from the crowd and full parking lot at the ShowPlace. In spite of reports of declining license sales, hunting seems to be doing very well.
We walked over to see some of the entries in the Virginia Deer Classic. The quality of deer taken last year, a good mast year, was amazing. I saw racks like I dream about.
As we wandered through the various vendors ad new products, we found Sherry Crumley manning a booth for Outfitter Tuff camouflage clothes, a new product developed by Sherry’s husband, Jim, inventor of the original Trebark camouflage pattern. Sherry and Jim are both excited about how the new pattern is being accepted by hunters.
Several crossbow manufacturers were present at the show. I spoke with Barb Terry, from the Ten Point Crossbow factory in Ohio. She reported that Ten Point feels that the crossbow market still is expanding in Virginia, even in this third year since crossbows became legal. This year, Ten Point introduced a new recurved model crossbow, departing from the normal compound technology. Terry said sales of the new recurved have been brisk, particularly in Canada where crossbow service centers are few and far between and reliability means everything.
Hunting license sales at the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries booths were steady, if not brisk. I saw Bob Duncan and congratulated him on his selection as director of the department. He told me, “If things don’t work out, it won’t be because I didn’t try.”
I was a little disappointed to see that the show had only scheduled one guest speaker to give a hunting seminar, but the one speaker was author and TV personality Larry Weishuhn, “Mr. Whitetail.” I sat in on one of his seminars and found him to be a great speaker and very knowledgeable. Larry is well known for hunting from the ground and not from trees. I was surprised and a little amused for him to admit that in the past he frequently hunted from trees, but switched to ground hunting to get better camera anglers for his TV shows. If you are only going to have one speaker at the 25th anniversary show, Larry is a good one to have.
PENN RIGGS
OUTDOOR BRIEFS
>>Virginia anglers had less than a stalwart season in the Bassmaster Elite series this year. Rick Morris of Virginia Beach ranked 38th, John Crews of Salem was 71st and Kurt Dove, Fairfax, was 92nd. The pros had to rank 36 or above to make the 2009 Bassmaster Classic through the Elite series and had to be 84th or higher to qualify for next years Elite series. Kevin VanDam of Michigan was the highest ranking angler in the series and winner of the Toyota Tundra Bassmaster Angler of the Year award.
>>Owen Morgan, a 12-year-old from Wytheville, wrote the winning essay in the Ruffed Grouse Society’s 2008 essay and poster contest for youngsters. Morgan’s essay was titled “To Kill a Grouse,” and is published in the fall edition of the Ruffed Grouse Society magazine. It earned him a shotgun, membership in the society and a day afield with society biologist Mark Banker.
>>Michael Waddell, a popular outdoor television personality, has been named the National Wild Turkey Federation’s officials spokesman, replacing Rob Kech, who stepped down as the federation’s CEO and spokesman in March. Waddell will host the federation’s “Turkey Call” TV program and emcee its national convention in Nashville, Feb. 19-22.
>>An update on the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hunting with hounds study is scheduled to be presented to the DGIF board at its Aug. 19 meeting in Richmond. Waterfowl regulations also are scheduled to be established. The meeting is set for 9 a.m. at DGIF headquarters, 4000 West Broad St.
>>Virginia ranked eighth, with a gold and silver metal, in the Scholastic Clay Target Program Skeet and Sporting Clays National Championship in Illinois. Virginia shooters won the national champion in the Varsity Division for sporting clays. Team members include Christopher Smith of Ruther Glen, Daniel Foster of Drakes Branch and William Jacob Lawson of Skipwith.
BILL
SALTWATER FISHING TOURNAMENT
The first pompano of the season showed up in the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament, and there are new leaders in the croaker, flounder and tuna categories. Here are the standings:
BLACK DRUM: 87 pounds, 3 ounces, Paul Elliott, Surry, Latimer Shoals (C-2 Buoy). BLUEFISH: 19 pounds, 4 ounces, Richard Brown, Richmond, off Virginia Beach.
BLUEFIN TILEFISH: 18 pounds, 14 ounces, Chris Boyce, Hampton, Norfolk Canyon.
COBIA: 90 pounds, 10 ounces, Charles Thain, Birdsnest, Inner Middle Ground, C-13.
CROAKER: 4 pounds, 8 ounces, Michael Whittaker, Chesapeake, 664 Bridge Tunnel; Monitor.
DOLPHIN: 58 pounds, 6 ounces, Burt Whitt, Norfolk, Cigar.
FLOUNDER: 11 pounds, 6 ounces, Derick Hall, Gloucester Point, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TRIGERFISH: 4 pounds, 2 ounces, Adam Lyons, Chesapeake, Seagull Pier on Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
GRAY TROUT: 9 pounds, 8 ounces, Joseph Hudgins, Jr., Chesapeake, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (4th island).
KING MACKEREL, 62 pounds, 3 ounces, James McDonald, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge Pier.
KINGFISH: 2 pounds, 3 ounces, Bill Pope, Norfolk, Sandbridge surf.
SEA BASS: 7 pounds, 8 ounces, Reggie Myrick, Portsmouth, wreck off Virginia Beach.
SHEEPSHEAD: 14 pounds, 5 ounces, Kay Alley, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. .
SPADEFISH: 13 pounds, 15 ounces, Donald Knight, Chesterfield, Wolf Trap Light.
SPANISH MACKEREL: 6 pounds, Alfred Simpson, Virginia Beach, Sandbridge Pier.
SPECKLED TROUT: 9 pounds, 15 ounces, David Hester, Chesapeake, Elizabeth River.
STRIPED BASS: 73 pounds, state record, Frederick Barnes, Chesapeake, off Virginia Beach.
TAUTOG: 20 pounds, 6 ounces, Michael Shreve, Glen Burnie, Md., Monroe Wreck.
TUNA, BLUEFIN: 226 pounds, Kim Schwallenberg, Edgewater, Md., off Wachapreague.
TUNA: 93 pounds, 6 ounces, Harry Barr, Virginia Beach, Norfolk Canyon.
YAHOO: 68 pounds, Ron Fair, Cheriton, off Wachapreague.
MEETINGS/EVENTS/SEASONS
Triangle Archer’s 3D tournament, Aug. 17, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from Triangle Archers 3D tournament, June 22, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
Virginia Outdoor Sportsmen’s Classic, Aug. 22-23, Salem Civic Center, tickets $9 ($2 discount available from Hardee’s in the Roanoke area). More information from vaoutdoorsportsmensclassic.com.
Smith Mountain Lake Striper Club Fishermen’s Flea Market/Swap Shop, Sept. 5, 7 p.m., Moneta Community Center.
Eastern Regional Big Game Championship, Sept. 13 and 14, Southampton County Fairgrounds, Franklin, sponsored by the Virginia Peninsula Sportsmen’s Association, more information from Kenneth Pickin, P.O. Box 1860, Williamsburg, Va. 23187-1860; 757-229-0490. This is the contest for deer, bear and turkey killed east of the Blue Ridge. Additional information from vpsa.org.
Triangle Archer’s 3D tournament, Sept 14, Blacksburg, fee $12 or $25 per family, information from James Overfelt.
Third annual WSLS 10 Hunters for the Hungry banquet, 6 p.m. Sept. 27, Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi, Salem, tickets $20 singles; $35 couples, kids 12 and under free, to benefit the organization’s feed-the-needy program, tickets from Jeff Fletcher, 540-985-6523 or Fred and Phyllis Wells, 540-992-3874 or may be purchased at Dave Sarmadi Mitsubishi, additional information from hunt4hungry@cs.com.
National Hunting and Fishing Day, Sept. 27.
Western Regional and State Big Game Championship, for deer, bear and turkey killed west of the Blue Ridge or advanced from the Eastern Championship, Sept. 27 & 28, Rockingham County Fairgrounds, Harrisonburg, more information from Jon Ritenour, 2041 Spaders Church Road, Harrisonburg, Va. 22801, 540-434-8028. Additional information from vpsa.org.
Fall Optimist Club of Cave Springs Fishing Tournament, Oct. 3-5, Smith Mountain Lake.
Saltwater striped bass tournament opens Oct. 4.
Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA banquet, Oct. 18.
Got an event? Let us know: xtrails@earthlink.net.
